“PMMC could reach anyone with any kind of learning style.” Case study with Conor Pfeifer

Conor Pfeifer is an aspiring product marketer determined to make his mark in the industry. He has an extensive background in B2B and NGO work and co-chairs an international business resource group at his company and resides in San Francisco. 

To gain a competitive edge, he enrolled in our Product Marketing Certified: Core (PMMC) course. We sat down with Conor to discuss how this decision has accelerated his professional journey.

Read on as we discuss:

• How Conor found out about PMMC
• How PMMC stood out above market alternatives
• What topics Conor found most interesting 
• How he transferred what he learnt in his day-to-day practice
• How the course has helped Conor in his current role
• How the course has helped Conor build connections
• More about the mentorship he received through PMA
• The impact the course has had on his professional development
• Advice for those considering enrolling in the course

How did you find out about Product Marketing Certified: Core, and what prompted you to enroll?

I’ve been workshopping ways I want to advance my career and I have a little bit of a marketing background in NGO work, but I want to take it to the next level. So, I found an interest in product marketing in general. 

I spoke with some product marketers at my company – I work for a large tech employer – and they could not say enough about Product Marketing Alliance and the curriculum offerings that it has. So, I was enthusiastic to enroll in the course and my enthusiasm was proven right. 

What was it about Product Marketing Certified: Core that stood out above market alternatives?

One of the things that I liked best about it was it had applicable lessons to the day to day work of a product marketing manager. Instead of being more theoretical or hypothetical, the course has a clear progression, from the bigger ideas down to the specifics of some of the day to day work. 

What topics did you find most interesting within the course?

I love the conversations around persona development. This is gonna sound so goofy, but as someone who enjoys taking personality quizzes, I really like thinking about the customer on the other end, including ones that I’ve worked with.

I’m currently in a revenue generating role at my company and I do think about the segments that we work with. And, I notice certain trends among our various people that I sell to every single day. 

So I truly engaged most with the conversations around persona development, some of the tools that are used, some of the supplemental materials even had some tools that PMMs could use in creating some of those personas. That was a lot of fun to tinker around with. 

How have you transferred the insights you’ve learned to your day-to-day practice?

One of the great things about the curriculum that I’ve been able to translate into my day to day practice is being more thoughtful about accommodating the data and feedback we’re getting from our customer base, including, obviously, the ones I work with. 

So this includes being methodical, too, and noticing trends amongst some of these things. And now, I collaborate more closely with the PMM team at my company. There are ways we can do that too, but I like to interface with other directors. I do want to get into that field, so I want as much face time with them as I can. 

Beyond that, I’m being more thoughtful about product feedback from our customer base, really hearing what they have to say, noticing trends among them that can make driving revenue even better on our side, but more importantly, make our product better for our customers. 

How has Product Marketing Certified: Core helped you within your role?

It’s helped in countless ways, even with how I interface with teams internally and externally. I am separately chair of an affinity group for the Americas at my company. And it’s helped me with product management things, particularly for bigger products, that we very much treat like a go-to-market strategy. 

For example, we just did some large global events. And there was a roll up for that that looks, to me, very much like a product launch, including managing the communications and the various teams that were involved. 

And I don’t think anyone who works in the corporate space would be surprised to know that corporate organizations come with a large bureaucracy. You need to manage a bunch of different teams with a bunch of different working styles, and make sure that you are hitting your key goals and getting the buy-in from everyone so we can move forward seamlessly.

Have you built any connections since taking the course?

I have! I’ve made many wonderful connections taking the course. I belong to the Product Marketing Alliance Slack community, as well. I’ve been able to make contacts with people who are eager to support me in my career development around the world. And of course, vice versa. 

I actually met someone at my own company from Product Marketing Alliance. In addition to that, I have a wonderful mentorship relationship that I’ve made through Product Marketing Alliance and met some people who have provided some wonderful valuable insights that can help me get closer to my career goals. And, I can simply learn a little bit more. 

Can you tell us more about the mentorship opportunity?

When I introduced myself in the welcome channel, someone noticed that I was looking to grow into becoming a product marketing manager. So she reached out and offered an appointment. 

We’ve met several times already, including going over things like my CV and making sure I’m best positioning myself for the next step in my PMM career.

We’ve talked extensively about some of the work that might be involved, some companies that might be a good fit for me based on my background, and other things that are aligned with my personal goals, including where I want to be ultimately. So it’s really been such a wonderful value add. 

What kind of impact has taking Product Marketing Certified: Core had on your professional development?

I think it’s given me more specific guidance on where I want to go and how I want to get there. And so if I had not enrolled, for instance, I think I would still be grasping at straws a little bit as to where I wanted to take some of the skills that I’ve had in the past that speak very well to product marketing. 

Really, I wouldn’t have a specific roadmap to get there but the core curriculum was very thoughtful and focused, and it got me to conceptualize my career growth in a way that was very helpful and constructive. 

What would you say to fellow PMMs considering enrolling?

I would encourage them to do it, unequivocally. I suspect there are people who are pretty advanced in their product marketing groups who could even still learn from the core course. 

It takes them back to the fundamentals, but also articulates things in a way that is very thoughtful, and easy to digest for any audience. 

And I will also add, I’m pretty conscious of people’s unique learning styles. My sister’s a teacher and I think about how to reach people best in my current role and my future role as a PMM. There was more than one way to learn something. It wasn’t just a lecture. The various activities, handouts, some of the reading materials, could reach anyone with any kind of learning style.

Join Conor and get certified

Be like Conor and countless others by enrolling in Product Marketing Certified: Core. By taking the course, you will: 

🙌 Grasp every element of the cross-functional and rapidly evolving discipline that is product marketing.

🛠 Market your product through its entire lifecycle and successfully meet your product marketing key performance indicators.

👩🏽‍💼 Stand out in the job market – more and more employers request PMMC certification as a prerequisite for job seekers.

🧗🏼‍♂️ Advance up the career ladder with your newfound knowledge, skills, and product marketing network.

📦 Become the total package. Product marketing is an incredibly varied role. Our curriculum covers all the nooks and crannies.

🔖 Show off to your peers with a shiny new certificate #braggingrights.